


Snake Bite

by impish_nature



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Abusive Relationship, M/M, Manipulation, Mystery Trio, fiddleford knows what he's talking about, supernatural hijinks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 09:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5781043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impish_nature/pseuds/impish_nature
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mystery Trio! Stan’s old flame appears one day out of the blue, months after he’d left his old life behind. It doesn’t take long for the other two to notice that his personality starts to change, the brash outspoken man becoming quieter, more compliant. Can Fiddleford convince Ford that there’s something untoward about the whole affair? That this Jimmy Snakes isn’t all that he seems?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snake Bite

**Author's Note:**

> After what feels like far far too many rewrites...I think I’m finally happy with this? @logicalbookthief I really hope this is a good start! This was a lot more of a challenge than I thought it would be ^^
> 
> Warnings for manipulative behaviour/abusive relationship throughout this story. and maybe for some implied homophobia? Probably only for this chapter though.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Ford irritated beyond belief or reason, stormed out of the basement, the door slamming against the wall with a sharp crack. Not even Fiddleford’s gentle voice seemed capable of calming him down as he followed him upstairs, tutting softly at his antics. He wasn’t exactly overjoyed by the interruption, and the trouble it had caused them, himself. They’d been working on an important experiment, a new discovery they were both hoping would prove their hypothesis to be true. It had required detailed planning, precision and patience and yet right when all their efforts seemed to have come together a loud banging had started from the floor above them. Ford had almost ended up with a mixture of concentrated acid down his front at the sudden sound, both of them fully engrossed in their investigation. It didn’t help matters that as the bottle slipped out of his hand and smashed to the ground, weeks of research had gone down the drain with it.

That had been 10 minutes ago and whoever was at the door seemed to have no inclination to leave or stop with the obnoxiously loud rapping for all of five seconds while they got to the door. Not that they hadn’t feigned ignorance in response while they tidied up and mourned their results.

Ford took a quick glance up the stairs as they passed them, wondering where on earth Stan was before the noise got too much for him, ready to give their unexpected guest a piece of his mind as he yanked the door open.

A deep scowl marred his face while he suspiciously appraised the man in front of him. He tried not to stereotype him based on looks alone knowing full well that looks could be deceiving but his fuse was far too short in that moment not to. He took in his spiked biker jacket and bright bandana, the shiny black motorcycle sitting where Stan’s car usually sat, categorising the man as intimidating and unpleasant before he even opened his mouth to confirm it. He felt his concerns were warranted when the man leant against the doorframe like he owned the place, his expression surprisingly disinterested and aloof considering the vigorous knocking not two seconds previous and Ford’s very unwelcoming attitude. The man started to scrape the mud off his boots against the clean porch making Ford twitch, fingers tightening around the door handle. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief, clearing his throat to grab the man’s attention. “Can I help you?”

The man glanced up away from his boots as he spoke, his eyes widening before he took Ford in with a low whistle, an appreciative smile on his face that sent a shiver running down his spine uncomfortably.

“Wow, he said he had a brother, didn’t say he had a twin.”

“You know Stan?” Ford’s skin crawled at the wink the man gave him, a lecherous smirk on his face as he continued to appraise him. He held his ground, ignoring the probing stare as best he could even as his body screamed at him to just take a step back, close the door and pretend this man had never stepped onto his doorstep. He did take a moment to pull the door less ajar, slightly troubled this man might try and storm in without permission if he wasn’t careful or quick enough.

These kind of situations were Stan’s forte, not his, his mind blanking out on what the best course of action would be.

“Stan, yeah that’s it, we’re old buds. He around?”

“Did you just forget his name?” Fiddleford muttered from behind the door, just out of sight, his arms crossed and eyebrows furrowing. He glared when Ford gave him a look that told him not to get involved, the look darkening further when he turned back to the man as if nothing had been said. “Oh no, don’t listen to me, asking the right questions, I don’t know what I’m talking about at _all_.” He grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes at his oblivious old college friend.

“He’s not here right now, you should come back later.” Ford was brisk, relief pooling in his stomach at the knowledge that he could make the man leave, that there was nothing to keep him here. He glanced back behind the man to check Stan’s car was actually gone and not just in an unusual spot and when he was satisfied, he went to close the door, not caring how impolite he might seem in that moment. A small spark of panic embedded itself deep in his chest when he found himself unable to.

His frown deepening as his eyes trailed down the door to the foot that had wedged itself between it and the frame.

“No worries, I’ll just wait here for him then.”

Ford and Fiddleford shared another quick glance, both faces incredulous, a silent conversation passing between them on how to get rid of their unwelcome guest without getting themselves or anything in the house broken at the same time.

Fortunately a familiar car pulling up stopped any dispute before it could truly start.

Ford stepped out of the house, giving the other man a wide berth as he slipped passed, jogging over to his brother for a quick word about bringing unsavoury characters to his door before the man could distract them all further. He could have at least warned him about something like this happening. Then again talking about the last few years seemed to be a taboo between them in general. He felt more than saw Fiddleford follow on behind him, stopping short in the doorway, arms crossed and feet wide in a failing attempt at barring entry from their intimidating visitor.

“Hey, Ford, what’s up?” Stan got out of his car, smiling widely even as he eyed his brother up in confusion for being there to greet him from his trip into town. The smile wavered in light apprehension at the frosty glare his twin sent back to him. He’d only gone out for a moment, he couldn’t have missed anything too drastic in his mind. Yet Ford’s arms were crossed, his back straight and tense, the behaviour reminiscent of Pa when they’d accidentally managed to break something important as kids or when the school had phoned him about their bad behaviour.

Stan gulped. It wasn’t a very comforting analogy.

“You have a visitor.”

“I have a what now?”

“An old friend.” Ford scrutinised Stan’s expression, watching the nervous smile change to outright fear, the blood draining from his brother’s face. His arms fell to his sides, defensive anger swept away and replaced by a deep rooted concern at the sudden and obvious distress in his twin’s twitching movements, the cogs in his head visibly whirring away behind his eyes. Ford gestured behind himself, gaining Stan’s attention again. He grew suddenly bolder than he had been moments before, a small protective flare sparking up in response to Stan’s abject panic. “You want me to get rid of him?”

“I, uhh-” Stan glanced around, eyes flickering along with his thoughts. His body stayed locked and tense, unmoving, almost scared to look behind Ford and see which _old_ _friend_ had decided to pay them an unexpected visit. His eyes locked on the bike in his usual spot, his mind clicking the pieces together in his head. He’d noticed it when he arrived but not in enough detail to actually take in the familiarity of the vehicle, the unmistakable decals, the recognisable helmet swinging from the handlebar. The tension left him in one large breath, relief escaping him in a hiss of air before it was quickly replaced by utter perplexity. “Wait, that’s-”

“Hey there, _doll_.”

Ford’s nose scrunched up in disgust at the tone behind that one word, an appreciative purr yet somehow condescending all in the same instance.

Stan flushed, one hand rubbing at his upper arm as he glanced at his brother once more before tilting to look behind him with a strained smile. “It is you, Jimmy! W-what the hell are you doing here?”

“I’ll take it he is a friend of yours then?” Ford raised an eyebrow, completely confused at Stan’s complete 180 and cutting in before the conversation became side tracked, still on edge from Stan’s earlier anxiety and wanting clarification there was nothing to worry about.

They’d have to sit down and talk about that at some point, couldn’t have people knocking on the door who were actually a threat.

“Y-yeah, he-”

“I’m his boyfriend.”

Stan winced, stepping back and distancing himself from Ford as his eyes trained back to him, waiting for disapproval or disgust to abruptly mar his expression at Jimmy’s confession. Waited for the physical blow, the fat lip he’d always imagining a revolted Filbrick would have given him if he’d been around the first time he’d kissed another man, propped up against his car, a year or two after being kicked out. When Ford only blinked at him owlishly in shock, turning slightly to give the other man another more thoughtfully appraising look, Stan took that as a good sign.

Or at least one that meant he wasn’t about to be kicked out of another house by another family member.

Ford’s eyes narrowed as he took another more assessing look at their visitor, his back up that his brother wasn’t being given a chance to explain everything himself at his own pace. It wasn’t usual that Stan let himself be railroaded, especially not without a fight or at the very least a threat, and Ford wasn’t quite sure what to make of it all. It wasn’t the conclusion he’d been envisioning when Stan had been in abject panic just a few short moments ago.

But if Stan was calming down, even smiling slightly, at the sight of this _Jimmy_ , he guessed he could let it slide. He might not like the man on first impressions but he wasn’t about to tell Stan who he could or couldn’t see. That would just be weird, it wasn’t really any of his business.

“Ex.” The word came out in a blurt, Stan fidgeting when all eyes turned to him once more, making sure not to make eye contact with any of them as his hand tightened around his elbow. “Ex-boyfriend.”

“Aww, don’t be like that, doll.” Jimmy kicked at the floor, his expression hurt and dejected, ignoring the glare that Fiddleford was still sending him from the doorway. “Not after I came all this way just to find you.”

“Really? You came just to look for me?” A tiny sliver of awe and hope echoed through Stan’s quiet words, like he wasn’t quite sure what to make of that or whether the sentiments could be trusted.

“Of course I did, I mean you did just _leave_. Didn’t even give me a proper goodbye.” The man sniffed dramatically, making Stan’s face twist in guilt.

“You didn’t think maybe there was a reason for that?” Fiddleford muttered under his breath, the words carrying enough for their guest to hear him, his expression shifting for a mere moment into a vicious glare that quickly smoothed back over, a crooked grin taking its place. It was enough of a change though, for Fiddleford to narrow his eyes suspiciously at this man that had darkened their doorstep.

He was not liking the theories his brain was already coming up with for Stan and Jimmy’s _relationship_. Not one bit.

He wasn’t sure why but the man just rubbed him up the wrong way. Got under his skin.

Maybe it was the flustered way that Stan was talking. It wasn’t the good kind of flustered that the assistant would have teased him about, but instead the kind of flustered that came from a very bad liar who had been caught in the act.

And Fiddleford knew that Stan had the most convincing silver tongue he’d ever had the displeasure of being subjected to.

He would never have described himself as gullible until the day he’d been completely and utterly led astray by the one and only Stanley Filbrick Pines.

“I-I didn’t just _leave_ -”

“Yeah, you did. Your brother called and off you ran.” Jimmy accompanied his words with a derisive gesture.

Stan’s face hardened, his hands clenched shakily into fists, his eyes yet again going to Ford for a moment. Of course he’d come running. It wasn’t Ford that had rung him but his assistant, needing to speak to a family member and not knowing that the scribbled out number on a post-it note near the phone had only ever been written down to appease their mother. It wasn’t his fault that they hadn’t spoken in so long, nor was it his fault that Ford had gotten himself injured on a monster hunt and he’d thought it best to alert someone. The fact that Stan had appeared not a day later, in a screech of tyres and a bone weary tiredness that he tried to hide behind the brimming concern seemed to soften Ford’s resentment at his estranged twin being contacted. A resentment that died further when Stan made it clear he had already assumed he wasn’t staying. That this was a one off and that he’d leave just as soon as he knew Ford could take care of himself again, but if he ever did need something, anything at all he should call him and he’d come running, no matter where he was. When Ford had finally spoken to him he’d been overjoyed to try and make amends, maybe rekindle their lost relationship one small step at a time. A fresh start. A clean slate. “We’d already- _you_ split up with me before that. I didn’t think you care-”

“Oh, come on. You didn’t actually believe me, did you? We were having an argument, I said a lot of things I didn’t mean.” Jimmy sidled over to him, an arm dropping around his shoulder, tight and unyielding. “Heat of the moment, that’s all it was.”

“Really?” Stan looked at his feet, making himself smaller in his embrace.

“Of course, but that argument was technically your fault so, you know, anything I said was also your fault.”

Stan winced at the memory, rubbing at the back of his head as he finally glanced back up at the other man remembering exactly how that fight had started. “Yeah, I guess it was.” He leant into Jimmy’s touch, the familiar movement more habit than conscious. But it was obvious he was giving in, his expression turning softer, more amiable, the more Jimmy spoke.

“Does that mean I can stay, doll?”

“S-sure, if you’re sure you want to?”

“Of course I’m sure, wouldn’t come all the way out to the middle of nowhere for just anyone, now would I?”

“No, guess not.” Stan’s voice was quiet but bright, a small smile blooming on his face like he couldn’t believe this was all happening, hadn’t dreamed his old flame would ever do all this just for him.

Fiddleford thought this Jimmy sounded like a slime ball himself.

He didn’t see what Stan saw in him _at all_.

“So? You going to greet me properly or what?”

“Not-” Stan glanced over at his brother, feeling exposed all over again. It was one thing for his brother to be fine with the implications of their relationship but that didn’t mean he’d be alright with _seeing_ it. He peeked back up, hoping his discomfort would be enough but quickly realised he wasn’t moving until he complied. He fidgeted a few seconds more before bouncing onto the balls of his feet, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and darting down again, now completely and utterly red with embarrassment, shoulders hunched up around his ears as the hug tightened around him.

“Hmm, better, could still use some work though. How about we get out of here for a bit? You can show me around this backwards dump.”

“I think we’ll leave you two to it.” Ford coughed awkwardly, sensing Stan’s relief as he walked away from the pair. That was enough excitement for today, he really just wanted to get back to his research and now at least his brother had something to do other than disturb them when he got bored. He herded Fiddleford back through the door, not even glancing back at his brother in respect of their privacy.

“You can’t be serious, Ford.” Fiddleford hissed at him as he was pushed back inside, the door closing behind them. He spun around, prodding Ford in the chest. “That guy is-is-” He threw his hands up in the air, the words on the tip of his tongue but his brain not complying, too busy trying to figure everything out to put it into words. “I don’t know, what he is, but there’s something definitely not right about him.”

Ford shrugged, his face set firm, trying to end the discussion before it began. “Look, I don’t like the guy, but if Stan likes him I’m sure he can’t be all that bad.” He brushed passed Fiddleford, picking up his journal and flicking through to the next page, scribbling down some of their findings from earlier, his mind already back on track to more important things that who Stan spent his time with.

“Ford, that isn’t…something wasn’t right about all that, I’m sure of it! He made Stan act all weird.”

“People act weird when they’re around people they like, it’s scientific, you know that.” Ford muttered, brushing him off as he started to descend the stairs.

“ _Stanford Pines_ -”

“ _Fiddleford_.” Ford snapped, whirling around on the staircase to face Fiddleford who still stood at the top. “Stanley is a full grown man and is completely capable of making his own decisions. If he didn’t want this Jimmy, or whatever his name was, here he would have told us so himself.” He waited for Fiddleford to argue more but was met instead with a silent sulk that made him sigh in frustration. “Now if you don’t mind, we really do have work to do, or would you rather continue talking about my brother’s love life?”

“No…” Fiddleford frowned, his mind torn but he really didn’t have any evidence to back up his irrational dislike for the man. He took one last look back towards the front door before he trailed after Ford, his thoughts still ticking over.

“Good, we’re already running behind as it is.”


End file.
